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Tag: spinning

Last weekend I had the opportunity to take my first SoulCycle class. SoulCycle opened its first studio in San Diego just a few weeks ago so I wanted to see what all the hype was about. You would have to pretty much live under a pop culture rock to not know what SoulCycle is, but just in case here is their website: SoulCycle

Just a head up before I go any further, I have zero affiliation with SoulCycle. This is just me sharing my thoughts on my class experience! Unless they need an ambassador, then I would be happy to step in ; )

This is an excerpt from the About section on their site:

“it’s a powerful mind-body experience. We ride together as a pack in candlelit studios to the rhythm of one-of-a-kind playlists. We’re coached by magnetic instructors, who support us, coach us and push us to reach our personal bests. We sweat, reach, and recover, together.”

How I felt after class.

As the consummate cynic, I assumed that the class would be completely overrated and just like every other cycle studio I had been to.

I could not have been more wrong!

Here are some of my takeaways from the class:

The environment was incredibly body positive! As you know, I have been in a lifelong struggle to love my body for what it can do for me, versus what it looks like. Walking into the sold-out class I thought I would be totally intimidated riding next to all of the hard bodies in there. One of the personal goals I’m working on this year is to not compare my body to other women’s. But once I got settled on my bike, I realized that the class was set up in a way to discourage that and to just focus on yourself and your ride ( I will get to the room in a sec!).

The instructor did a fantastic job of motivating the students without being overly cheesy. You ride to the rhythm of the music, there are no computer screens on the bike telling you your speed or distance, it is just you and your bike.

There were SO many bikes, we were kind of packed in like sardines. Once I was on the bike it was fine, but getting to my bike was a little tricky. I noticed that the bikes were arranged one in front of the other, instead of a staggered setup. Unless you were right in the front, you couldn’t really see yourself. While one might think that this was a strategy to cram in as many bikes as possible, I think it had more to do with not being able to see yourself or anyone else in the mirror for that matter. You really only have yourself and your ride to focus on. Once the class started the lights turned off, and the only lighting was some large candles on the instructor’s podium. This definitely set the tone, allowing everyone to center themselves and get into their own zone.

Needless to say, afterward I was a sweaty beast afterward and felt like I got an amazing workout in!

Class Stats

The class is based on pedaling to the beat. Let’s just say that I am not the world’s most graceful or coordinated human, so I have to admit, that was a bit of a struggle, so I know where I need to focus my attention in the future.

I own spin shoes, but the clips on the bottom were not compatible with their bikes. For your first ride you get complimentary shoes, then you can rent them if you need to. I believe I can replace the current clips on my shoes to make them compatible.

Clip in shoes

Tell me was that informative enough? Do you enjoy spin? Did I forget to mention anything? I would love your feedback!